eBooks set for summer surge

Members of the publishing industry are expecting a surge of eBook purchases in the coming weeks, as the popularity of the platform increases significantly ahead of people's holidays.

Miles Poynton, digital sales director for Faber, told the Bookseller this year will see 'the first big eBook summer', with consumers opting to download novels rather than purchasing physical copies and packing them in their suitcase.

However, Bloomsbury digital director Stephanie Duncan claimed any upswing in digital purchases will be followed by a rise in the number of paperbacks and hardbacks being bought, particularly as Christmas approaches.

She pointed to evidence in the US suggesting that there has been a significant rise in people filling e-readers with digital content before heading away, but also noted that this will have an effect on sales of physical copies.

Ms Duncan explained: 'It leads to increased print sales because people are coming back and deciding to buy the print copy then, or because word of mouth from people who have read the eBooks is spreading to people who prefer to read the physical books.'

Recent research carried out by YouGov on behalf of KPMG for its Media and Entertainment Barometer showed that, since September 2009, downloads of eBooks have increased by 100 per cent.